Hopper construction



ne 28 1927. 'Ju F. B. ALLEN HOPPER CONSTRUCTION F. B.'ALLEN HOPPER CONSTRUCTION Jne'- 428 1927.

Filed June 20, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 M AT RNEYJ INVENTOR F. B. ALLEN June 28, 1927.

HOPPER CONSTRUCTION Filed June 20, 1924 5 Sheets-511001,15

Patented June 28,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE- FRANK B. ALLEN OF GYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

'ro FRANK H. hummm,

' norman co F CLEVELAND, OHIO. p l

INSTRUCTION.

i Application ledl June 20, 1924. Serial No. 721,319.

This invention relates .to hopper construction, particularly ash hoppers for mechanical stokers.

One object of the vinventionis to provide a new and improved hopper construct-ion for collecting and discharging the ashesv and siftings from a mechanical stoker.

Another object is to construct an ash'siftings lhopper adapted to discharge the ashes collected therein into a main ash .hopper located adjacent thereto.

A further object is to construct van ash siftings hopper provided with fluid means for discharging ashes and Sittings therefrom.

Another object is to vconstruct a main hopper and an auxiliary hopper, normally separated from each other, but adapted to be brought into communica-tion with each other at all 'times regardless of the amount Y of material in the main hopper.

A still further object isy to construct adj acent hoppers, each provided with means for discharging water thereinto and having a system for collecting the water from the hoppers, including a lunitary water discharge means for both hoppers.

Other objects ancillary to the foregoing will appear and be pointed out inthe fol- V lowing specification and drawings: .i

In the drawings attached hereto and forming part of this specification,

Fig. 1 isa vertical section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and showing hopper consturction embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is4 a` view taken substantially on liuc 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1 taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 4 and showing another form of my invention.

v Fig. 4 is a. side elevation taken on lino L1 4: of Fig. 3 with the sidewall 1 broken away and certain parts omitted t0 expose the hopper. v

Fig. 5 is a view of a modified form of my invention, similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the view being taken substantially on line 5-.-5 of Fig. 6.-

Fig. 6 is' asi-de elevation. taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5 with the side wall1 broken 'away and certain parts omittedto expose the hopper. 1 l

Mechanical stokers of the presentfday type require the customary hopper. to' ref ceive the major bulk'oltthe ashes clinkers,

etc., discharged from the end of thestoker,

and also a supplemental of siftings hopper,

Sas it is frequently termed, the function of this supplemental 'or Sittings hopper -being to catch the ne, partially burned'coal and 'ne ashes which, falling through the Stoker' are not discharged into the main hopper. Such Sittings hopper are usually of substantially l thesame width as the stoker and may be of about the same length. Usuallv they comprise a totally separate and di hopper independent from the main hopper with independent ash discharge openings. I t is difficult and often inconvenient to con- Istruct these hoppers With bottom discharge stinct openings so disposed as to discharge the contents o'f the hoppers into an ash car Which runs on tracks below the main hoppers. These cars are usually'not of suiiicient width to catch all f'the' ashes discharged from -those hoppers which are out of alignment 'With -each other, as -regards the center of the car track. Y The independent Sittings hopper, having its own bottom dischargev opening, also occupies a considerable-amount of valuablehead` room.

I have constructed which saves much head room While preserving adequate hopper capacity and high eiliciency, vand which is adapted to discharge its contents through the -discharge opening yof the main hopper. I have furthermore provided hoppers ofthe type nvolvlng the lndependent Sittings hopper with new and improved^means of dlscharging vcontents a hopper, however,

from t-he Sittings hopper, and a unitary `means for collectingand conducting away from th siftings hopper and al l hopper all the water which may have been discharged thereinto. In Fi s. 1 and 2, I have illustrated gone form of opper construction embodying'l my so the main invention in itsv preferred -form. The conr crete and steel floor beams are indicated by vco Stoker, and one 0r more bottom openings 8, each Aprovided with `a door 9l to serve as a closure for the openings or to be withdrawn when the ashes in the hopper are to be dls- .b charged therefrom. These doors 9 are preferably of the shape and construction of the door shown in my U. S. Lette-rs Patent N o. 1,547,284 and may be operated bya cylinder (not shown) and connecting rods 92 vdis- ,10 .posed between and below the doors. These doors run on rollers 9b which are carried by shafts 9 mounted on girders 9 9, andare in vpart guided betweenfguidestrips 9lfwhich are carried at the inner ends of the shafts. V10 indicates a stationary water collecting trough suspended'from the hopper at one end of each opening 8, intvvhich'trdugh water passing through the hopper 3 and o-nto the door 9 may be discharged so that substanltially all water passing through the openings 8 `of the hopper is conductedr away, through asuitable p1pe-11 to a lace of disf osal, leaving the underside o the hopper ry at all times, regardless of the quantity 2,5 of Water which may be sprayed into the hopper' as b sprinklers 3A to expedite the cooling ofy the ashes. It will be noted that the opening 7,` in the top of the hopper is relatively narrow and 1s disposedcloser to the' rear wall (righthand wall in Fig. 1) of hopper 3 than to the -front wall thus permittingtop wall 6 to extend laterally and rearwardly from-,the front wall. Thev purpose of this location of opening 7 and the exten- 35.\sion of top wall 6- from the front wall -5 'will appear hereinafter. o

Sittings hopper 4 is formed with substantially vertical side walls 12and inclined bot- -tom wall 13, which slopes` from just beneath t0` the floor` at the front end of Stoker 2` downwardly at such an angle lthat it meets the front wall of'hopper 3 at a point well above the bottom of hopper 3. The rear end wall offhopper 4 preferably constitutes part of. the front wall of hopper 3 and a portion of' tlus wall is made up of a series of movable wallsections or metal plates 14, each secured to a shaft. 15, which is rotatably mounted inl floor beams lad'provided with a handle 16 or other suitable power applying means, and a counter weight' 17 of suitable form to fa` cllltate rotational movement of the shaftl and-elevation of the plates14 into lsubstantially the'dotted line osition in Fig. 1. It will be noted that. t e plates 14 may bemoved linto the dottedJine' osition of Fig. '1 at any tlme, regardless ofp the normal accumulatlonof ashes in` hopper 3, 'inasmuchv as the lates are so located as always to'be above t e angle of repose of ashes passing throughopenin 7. Atthe front of hopper, 4, I have provi ed means for releasing fluid -under pressure into the hopper to discharge f the ash contents therefrom i'nto the hopper 3 through opening 144 provided, when the o be closed `andp plates 14 are elevated to. bring the hoppers 3 and 4 into communication with each other. This-means may take various forms, but 1n thelform illustratedv it consists of a water pipe 18 tending across the hopper 4 near the front end thereof,and one or more jets 19, or outletsgtherefrom, with the openings disposed to discharge water substantlally parallel to the top surface of bottom wall 1 3. 27In operating the construction -shown 1n Figs. l and 2, the ashes discharged from' the Stoker 2 fall through the opening 7 into hopper 3 and accumulate therein until disl charged therefrom through the, bottom opening 8 by movement of the doors 9 or either 80 ,of them. The ne ashes and siftings which fall through lthe Stoker 2, or for any 'rea on do'not'pass through "opening 7 of hoppe 3, are collected von the top of wall 6 as at 6" and in Sittings hopper 4. from which `hopper they may be periodically discharged into hopper 3`by elevation of the wall plates 14 and discharging water under `pressure through nozzles 19. Any water discharged into hopper 4 will naturally run into hopper 3 and be dischargedJ from the bottom thereof into the troughlO and pipe 11.

It will beobvious to-those skilled in the art that jets 19 maybe employed to cool the ashes`similarly to jets 3a in hoppen/3, 95 or other ljets for this purpose may be inserted in pipe 18 as desired.

It is to be noted that no opportunity is olered for air to enter through rthe hoppers andv pass through the fire on the Stoker, 109

since the only openings in the hoppersbelo'w the firewire openings 8'which are, however,

except during the Idischarge of ashes therefrom, substantially vwater-sealed .by reason i ott the novel construction of the doors 9 and parts associated therewith..` The .wall plates 14 which serve to separate the hoppers 3 and 4-V from each other or permit these tw'o hoppers to 'be broughtfiinto communicationl with each other, are /not incontact with the outer air and, therefore may be operated at any time withoutdamage to the'tire, due to air passing therethrou h. It is thus possible to prevent substantial y any' air passing up through the fire on ate 2, even when the 11i ashesa-re being disc arged, since when the doors 8 are ened, the wall plates 14 may any air passing through the opening 8 will continue through the hopper 3 and opening 7 and therice into the'stack. In- Figs. 3 and 4, I have illustrated a slightly modified -form of hopper construction, vwhich in contrasttothat illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 includes afseparate and distinct siftings hopper 'provided'with independent bottomv discharge `openings located alongside ofthedischarge means from the main hoppen-"and employing a novel means for collecting and disposing of the water passijng through the two hoppers.

les

llU

tom of hopper 23 is provided with one or lmore bottom discharge openings 28, through which ashes may be dlscharged from the hopper, for each of which openings there is Yprovided a door 9 operated by rod 9a and cylinder 9 and similar in substantially .all respects to the doors 9 of Figs. 1 and 2. One or more stationary troughs l0 (and in this case one) are provided to receive water passing through the hopper opening 28 and collected by the doors 9, from which trough 10 and pipe 11: serve to lead the water to a place of disposal. Y

The sifti'ngs hopper 24 is provided with sloping side walls 32 of substantially the same pitch, a sloping. front wall 33 and an upright rear wall 34 adjacent and `preferably secured to wall 25 of hopper 23. Hopper 24 is provided with a bottom discharge opening 35, to which is fitted a door 36 re-l sembling the-doors 9 in substantially all re- `spects, except perhaps size, the door .being means, such as the jets 19 of provided withv actuating means, such as hand wheel 37, shaft 37, rack 38 andpinion 39. Along one end of opening 35, I provide a stationary trough 49adapted to receive water discharged through the 'openving 35 and over door 36, this trough in substantially all respects except perhaps size re-j sembling trough 10. Attached to the lowerend of trough 40 is a pi 41, which extends through wall 25 into hpper 23 and discharges the water from the trough 40 into the interior of hopper 23.

Each hopper .23 and 24 is sprinkling means 3'* for spraying water onto the ash content of the hoppers to cool the same quickly. The vunitary system for collecting the water discharged into these hoppers comprises doors 9 and 36, troughs 10 and 40 and pipes 11 and 41, as will appear from the drawings and the foregoing de,

scription. If it is found necessary to employ Lfluid under pressure to remove ashes from either or both of the hop rs, suitable 1g. 1 may be employed with the construction shown in ,Figs-V 3 and 4 as desired.

" It will be noted, by referrlng to Flg. 4, v-

that I have shown a modified form of main hopper 23, where the side walls 25 converge and the bottom opemngs are in-` the center of the hopper, rather than at either side, as in Fig. 2. It is to be understood,

provided with 1 however, that the form of siftings hopper. shown in Fig. 4 may be employed equally well with the form of main ash hopper shown in Fig. 2, it only being necessary to locate the trough 40 so that it may discharge into the interior of hopper 23.

In Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown a slightly modified form of hopper construction and a modified form of the system for collecting water from the hoppers. In Fig. 5, l indicates the floor'beams of a boiler house, certain of these beams 1 being omitted from Fig. 4, 2 the mechanical stoker, 3 the main ash hopper and 44 the siftings hopper, each l having sprinkling means 3a. 5 indicates the upright walls of the hopper 3', and 6 the top wall of this hopper. `7 indicates the opening through the top wall forthe ashes discharged from the end ofthe Stoker 2. 8 indicates the bottom discharge opening for the hopper 3. 9 indicate-s the door or oors cooperating with the opening or openings 8. l0 indicates the stationary trough to receive water from vthe hopper u3, which passes through opening 8 and olf door 9. 1I indi. cates the discharge pipe from trough 10.

The siftings hopper 44 is provided with one substantiallyvertical side wall 42, an inclined side wall 43, an inclined front wall 44a and a rear .wall 45, which may be secured to and form a part of the upright .front wall 5 of hopper .The bottom of hopper 44 is provided with an opening 46 fitted with a door 36, which cooperates therewith and which isactuated by any suitable means,-. for example, a hand Wheel 37, shaft 37, rack 38 and pinion 39. Along one end of 'the opening 46, Iv have provided a `(rough 47 to receive water .passimY through the opening 46ax1d across door V36, and have connected this trough 47 directly with trough l() by means of a connection 48, so that water discharging into trough 47 will pass freely inio trough 10 and thence into pipe 1i. lThese connections form a unitary system for co]- lecting fand disposing of the water discharged into the hoppers.

Walls 43 and 44a are inclined at such' an angle that ash siftings collecting thereon iuid ejecting means near the upper ends of Such a means may the walls 43 and 44a. take the form of water pipes 18 having one or more jets 19 (see Fig; 1) arranged lto discharge water downwardly along the top sur-y face of the .walls and substantially parallel thereto.

It Will be observed, by reference to Figs.

unitary system for collecting and disposing of water discharged into a plurality of hopers. In the structure shown in Figs. l and 2lthe water from hopper 4 flows directly into 1 to 6 inclusive, that I have constructed a hopper 3, is collected by door 9 and disposed ofthrough/trough 10 and' pipe 11. In the structure shownin Figs. 3 and 4' the Water in hopper 24 is collected outside of hopper;I

23 but discharged thereinto and passes thence as in Figs. 1 and 2. Ina the structure shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the water of ho `per J44is collected as in hopper 24 but is le directly into trough and pipe 11 of the ad, jacent hopper 3 without going through hoper 3. o P -The details and construction of the doors a 9 and 36 and the troughs 10, as well as the f siftings hopper disposed in position to receive material from the s'toker, the ash siftings hopper being disposed beneath the mechanical Stoker and comprising side walls, a rear end wall having movable'sections and a bottom wall located beneath the stoker and inclined-upwardly from the said rear end wall and terminating adjacent to the front end of the stoker the 'main hopper4 being separated from the siftings hopper by the said rear end wall and having a discharge opening in the bottom portion thereoi, means disposed near the upper/end of the u bottom wall of the siftingshopper to discharge Huid into the siftings hopper'for moving solid substances from the siftings hopper through the rear end wall thereof and into the main hopper, and a movable closure for said discharge opening 'provided with means controllably to retain sol-id niaterial in the hopper and to collect and disf charge Huid passing through the discharge opening.

2. In combination. with a furnace having a mechanical stoker, a main hopper dispose to receive material from the 'stoker and having a discharge opening in its lower portion and having upstanding side walls, a movable o ash retaining closure for the said discharge ropening, ah siftings hopper disposed to receive material from ,the stoker and communicating with the said main hopper through one side wall thereof and above the said bottomldischarge opening thereof, to discharge material into the main opper, means vto dis# charge liquid finto each opper and means associated with the said closure to collect and discharge liquid passing through the. said bottom discharge' opening.

3. In combination with a vfurnace having a mechanical Stoker, a main hopper having a discharge opening in the lower portion thereof and having upstanding walls, a movable ash retaining closureior the said opening,.the said main hopper being disposed to receive material from the Stoker, a siftings hopper disposed beneath and in materiall receiving position with respect to vthe Stoker and communicatin with the main ho per throug one wall t ereof and above theaid discharge opening, the wall between the two hoppers including sections mounted to swing into the main hopper, means on the exteriorA of the ho per to move the said movable sections an means in the siftings hopper to discharge liquid to move solid. material f" therein into the main hopper.,

4. A hopper construction comprising a main. hop er having an opening in the lower portion t ereof, a solid material retaining closure for the said opening, 'a supplemental hopper adjacent to the main hopper-and l communicating therewithy means for dis' charging liquid into each hopper, means lfor discharging liquid fromthe su plemental hop er into the main hopper, and) means inclu ing the saidclosure for collecting and conducting away water passing through the said opening.

5. In combination with a furnace having a mechanical stoker, a main ash hopper dis-J Lposed to receive material fromv the Stoker'.

yino

cluding the said door, for collecting yand-coni hoppers which passes through the said discharge opening. i

6. In combination with a furnace having a mechanical stokena main hopper and a siftings hopper both disposed in position to re- -ducting away the combined water of both i ceive material from the said Stoker, the

sittin s hopper communicating with the main opper above the surface of ashes normally reposing therein, a portion of the wall separating the ho pers being suspended to swing freely into t e main hopper above the `ashes therein, and liqiliid means to discharge solid material from e siftings hopper into the main hopper, the main hopper having a discharge opening in its lower portion provided with a liquid collecting, solid material retaining closure.

7. In combination with a furnace having a mechanical Stoker, a main hopper disposed to receive material from the Stoker and having a .discharge opening insits lower por tion, a liquid collecting and discharging door iso for the said opening, a siftings hopper dis'- posed to receive'material from the Stoker and communicating withtheumain hopper above the surface of the ashes normally ref posing therein, a portion of the wall separating the said hoppers being formed in sections, eacli section being hung at its top to swing freely into the main hopper at all times, and liquid means to remove solid material from the said siftings hopper into the main hopper.

8. Hopper construction comprising a main hopper having front, side land rear walls, a top Wall provided with a solid material inlet opening remote from the front wall, and a bottom wall provided with a discharge opening and a movable solid mate-y rial retaining closure therefor; and adjacent, open top, solid material receiving hopper commumcating with the main ho per through the said front wall and well a ve the bottom of the main hopper, the said front wall of the main hopper having sections movable at all times to separate the s said hoppers or to permit communication of 25 the hoppers with each other, liquid means in the adjacent hopper for conducting solid material therefrom into the main hopper, and means associated with the said closure to collect and conduct away. the liquid pass- 30 ing through 'the said discharge opening.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature this thirteenth day of June, 1924.

FRANK B. ALLEN. 

